Cicindis horni Bruch (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Cicindini): The Fairy Shrimp Hunting Beetle, its way of life on the Salinas Grandes of Argentina”

ERWIN,T. L. & ASCHERO, V.

ZOOTAXA

Magnolia Press

Lugar: Auckland, New Zealand; Año: 2004 vol. 553 p. 1 - 16

1175-5326

Discovery of a large population of the rare and poorly known carabid beetle Cicindis horni Bruch on the Salinas Grandes of Córdoba Province, Argentina provided an opportunity to record aspects of its behavior and life history, and to test several hypotheses previously made about it way of life. This heretofore very rare species, of which only two museum specimens have been well described in the literature, and its phylogenetic relationships unknown, is highly unusual among carabid beetles. Adults spend the night in search of food or mates swimming on the water surface of alkaline water bodies. Mid-tibial natatorial setae, tarsal setal fringes, ventral vestiture, and genal/pronotal planing surfaces plus decumbent and very sharply pointed mandibles are specific adaptations that permit adults of this species to behave as swimming superspecialist predators. Therefore, there have been four independent invasions of the aquatic habitat by adephagan Coleoptera. Populations of C. horni Bruch are probably limited by the extent of the great salt flats of Argentina (550,000 hectares) located in north-central Argentina and are further limited edaphically within the overall geographic range.Key Words: Cicindini, Cicindis horni, Argentina, Salinas Grandes, adult beetle behavior, semi-aquatic carabid beetle, anostracan fairy shrimp, Thamnocephalus sp., The Fairy Shrimp Hunting Beetle.